moreland8106
dallas texas
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Joined: 07/10/2008
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I am having a battery problem, but I don't know if it's the battery or something else. It sits on a charger when not in use, but everytime I take it for a ride, when I shut it off(to get gas, or food) it drops almost have the needed volts to crank up again and I end up clutch starting most of the time which is great exercise but very tiring.
Any suggestions other than buy a new battery, that one I already know?
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King of the Road
Union County, NJ
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Joined: 03/10/2005
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What kind of battery is it? If it is a lead/acid you could check the specific gravity of each cell. You could check to see what the voltage is at the terminals when you first start up and when you can't start it easily. What kind of bike do you have? A load test will give a better assessment of the batteries cranking potential but it isn't likely that you have that kind of equipment. That is all I can think of off the top of my head. Good luck
Edit: Oh yeah, the most obvious of all, check the connections at the battery posts and ground wires. Make sure they are clean and in good, secure contact with the terminals/ grounding points.
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Hawg Man
Lakeland, FL
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Joined: 10/26/2006
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You say the bike sits with a charger on it when not in use.
Do you mean a regular battery charger (trickle or otherwise) - or a Battery Tender?
If you always have it hooked to a regular battery charger, that's probably your problem.
Most battery chargers don't quit charging when the battey is fully charged.
All they do is keep cooking the battery until it's a useless black box.
It's like trying to force more water into a balloon after the balloon has reached capacity.
A Battery Tender, on the other hand, will sense the battery's state of charge and stop charging when the battery is at full charge - and then turn on again only as needed.
* This post was
edited 09/01/08 10:17pm by Hawg Man *
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Payloader
Denver, Colorado
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I agree with Hawg Man. That jumped out at me. I never put my battery on a charger, or a tender because it never sits long enough. If you are going to not ride for longer than a month, then I might use a tender. I always go start it and let it run for a while, 10 minutes maybe. I think by leaving it on a charger you may have cooked the battery. I did that to my laptop battery. I would say buy a new battery, and don't put it on a charger everytime it's not being used. How often do you ride anyway?
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howsit2003
J'ville,Florida
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I have a dual speedometer/revcounter/odometer gauge on my bike. The odometer is always on, even when everything is completely off. This used to bother me, as I thought the little LCD gauge showing my miles would drain down the battery when I was'nt using the bike, so I bought a battery tender.
I put the tender on the bike the night before I go for a ride only.Sometimes I put it on a few hours ahead of a ride in the morning. Regardless, it appears to charge my battery in just a few hours max, and then I take it off.
I definitely agree with everyone here, that a big charger will cook your bat.
Another thing to consider is the charging system on your bike, maybe it's simply not working. Time to check the alternator. It's very simple all you need is a cheap voltmeter.
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Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
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Joined: 02/02/2005
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Battery Tender. Way different than a charger. Really does make batteries last longer. Use them on everything I have, except Moms car, she drives it almost every day. Trailer, truck, and my Ultra when it is parked more than a few days.
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moreland8106
dallas texas
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Thanks everyone for the great advise. I think it was a combination of problems now. I have an 2002 Victory, not a commonly used bike around me. Most people have either Harley's or some metric version of a cruiser. Not gonna tell you what the wife thinks. As I took the battery off the bike the screws that connect the wires to the terminals the screws broke and the terminals were cracked. Getting a new battery and see if that fixes the issue. I have a trickle charger on the way in the meantime.
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Payloader
Denver, Colorado
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That is probably the reason. But, unless you aren't going to ride for a while, a month of more, I don't think you need a tender, or trickle charger. I have let mine sit for as long as 2 months without starting it let alone riding it with no problem. I didn't know it was going to sit that long, but it did last winter, and come to think of it it sat for longer the winter before. No problems with the battery in either case.
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Carraway
Madison, WI
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Joined: 02/22/2008
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Sounds like the bike is not charging the battery when you are riding it. It could be something simple like a loose connection at the voltage regulator or a faulty alternator. Don't spend money on any batteries until you have a reliable mechanic check the charging system.
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